The Foote School 
E-News
April 7, 2016
In This Issue
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Register Online for Centennial Weekend


Please join us in celebrating 100 years of Foote School at Centennial Weekend.

May 13, 14 & 15, 2016

Weekend Highlights:
  • Wine and cheese reception (Fri.)
  • Maypole and Sword dancing for grown-ups (Sat.)
  • Family fun with Legos, giant bubbles, scavenger hunt and more (Sat.)
  • Picnic lunch with live bluegrass music (Sat.)
  • Mini-courses led by alumni and faculty (Fri. & Sat. - click here for full list)
  • Evening gala with performance by jazz bassist Ben Allison '82 (Sat.)
  • Dancing (Sat.)
  • PTC Golf Tournament at the Course at Yale (Sun.)
  • And much more!
Or register by phone: 203-777-3464. Note: You can register for some or all of the weekend's activities. Children are welcome for the daytime events on Saturday.


 
AllSchoolNewsALL SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
EAG Movie Event - April 8

 
Foote's Environmental Action Group (EAG) is hosting a movie event for  students in grades 3 through 9.
 
Friday, April 8 at 2:20 p.m.
Twichell Room
Pick up at 4:00 p.m.

Walt Disney's Wall-E (rated G) is an animated movie about a robot who cleans up the Earth after humans have abandoned it because it is so polluted. Click here to watch the trailer. 

Admission is FREE! Centennial water bottles ($5) and snacks ($.50-1.00) will be available for purchase.

Students are invited to gather as a community to learn more about planet Earth and why it's important to take care of it, and to support EAG projects and initiatives.

Still Time to Sign Up for After School Minicourses


It's time to sign up for After School minicourses for the spring term.

Minicourses give children a chance to learn something new and have fun in a relaxed setting. Children who are not enrolled in the After School Program are welcome to participate in a minicourse.

Most minicourses began this week but there is still time to sign up.

Order Field Day T-Shirts



Field Day will take place Wednesday, May 11 (rain date May 12). PLEASE NOTE: This is a new date for Field Day. The ninth grade is selling Field Day t-shirts as a fundraiser for its class gift.

All orders are due to the front desk by Friday, April 22.

(NOTE: Kindergarten students will receive a Field Day t-shirt as a gift from their ninth grade buddies. Kindergarten parents will need to fill out the form, even though they don't pay for shirts.)
    
Wear Blue or Green for Earth Day - April 22



In honor of Earth Day, students are asked to wear either blue or green on April 22. We will gather for an all-school assembly, featuring a presentation by biologist and Foote alum Joey Pakes Nelson '98, who will receive the 2016 Environmental Stewardship Award from the Environmental Action Group.
    
     MSNewsMIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS
Grade 9 Parent Meeting - April 25

 
Grade 9 Parent Meeting
Monday, April 25
5:30 - 6:30 p.m. - Perrine Library

Please join Head of Middle School John Turner to review the end-of-year calendar and discuss details of the "mystery trip," special dress for the closing days, plans for graduation and party options.

RSVP to Erika Villa at evilla@footeschool.org.

 PTCNewsPTC NEWS
Stephanie Anestis Photography Fundraiser

 
Spots are filling up for the 'photo duet' mini-sessions with photographer Stephanie Anestis. Stephanie, a Foote mom and family photographer, is offering the sessions as a fundraiser for the PTC on April 24 at two locations: Edgerton Park in New Haven (morning) and Stony Creek in Branford (afternoon).

These 10-minute sessions are to highlight a special relationship: mother and child, father and child, grandparent and child, aunt or uncle with niece or nephew, etc., and would make a perfect gift for grandparents or a spouse.

Your $150 donation to the Foote School PTC includes the session, five low-resolution, watermarked digital images for online posting, and two archival 8x10 prints of the image of your choice, handmade by Stephanie.

To sign up, click here to select a time slot and bring a check for $150 made out to the Foote School PTC to the main office.

 
DayInLifeA DAY IN THE LIFE OF FOOTE
Foote Students Win Top Honors at COLT Poetry Recitation Contest

Foote had a stellar showing at the Connecticut Council of Language Teachers' Poetry Recitation Contest on April 6. Eleven of our Middle School students participated alongside students from more than 80 other schools. Foote students recited poems in Chinese, French, Latin and Spanish, and one recited as a heritage Spanish speaker. Chinese teacher Lely Evans and Spanish teacher Sally Nunnally volunteered as judges and many language teachers attended to support our students and to cheer them on.

"Our students were incredible!," says Modern Language Chair Hayden Holt. "They received their medals, and losses, with grace and poise, and we are incredibly proud to be part of such a devoted group of teachers and students."

Please join us in congratulating all of the participants and medal winners in their respective categories:

Grade 7
Mia Sloan - 2nd place, Chinese
Nick Perkins - 1st place, Latin
Sylvie Moran - 1st place, French
Grace O'Keefe - 3rd place, Spanish
Paula Santoro - Heritage Spanish

Grade 8
Fenn Suter - 2nd place, French
Jake Nadzam - 2nd place, Latin
Serena Levin - 1st place, Spanish

Grade 9
Omid Azodi - 1st place, French
Sam Curtis - Latin
Elena Miko - 1st place, Spanish

Cracking the Code at Scratch Day

Foote hosted Scratch Day on April 2, welcoming more than 80 students from Foote and 14 area public and independent schools a stimulating morning of coding, sharing and learning. There were 10 different sessions for students in grades 3-7 and one for parents. Courses included "Introduction to Scratch," "Build a Computer with Kano," "Robotics: The Next Generation with LEGO EV3" and "The Art of Math."

The free event offered participants of all experience levels a chance to come together and meet other coders, share projects and learn something new. Two sessions were led by Foote students, and others by Foote teachers and visiting technology teachers.


At the end of the day, students enjoyed seeing photos of the morning's activities and the chance to share their work. Robots were guided around the Hosley Gym by bluetooth commands and students demonstrated the Leonardo's robot drums they built with Eli Whitney Museum staff. There was also a raffle of Scratch Day t-shirts and other prizes.

One parent from Spring Glen School in Hamden remarked afterward: "My son was glued to the presenters and videos (which is saying something, as he was with his friends). I felt like I found a deeper appreciation of who he is as well as more of the value of certain types of screen time (which I often view as my enemy). He spent the rest of the weekend creating games. Happy to see lots of girls in attendance! A lovely day!"
 
Kindergarten Math Morning

 
Kindergarten parents joined their children in class Thursday morning for Kindergarten Math Morning. Together, they played math games such as Quack and Count (from their seven-number study), Piggy Banks (a money-counting game), Grab a Handful (an estimating game) and Beat You to 20 (reinforcing teen numbers and counting).

Afterward, parents gathered in the Twichell Room, where Lower School Math Chair Heather Zetterberg presented an overview of the Kindergarten math curriculum.

"The students were excited to teach their parents math games and to feel like experts," says Kindergarten teacher Alexandra Wittner. "Everyone was engaged the whole time and they were so happy to find out they were taking the games home to play."



Looking Back: The Foote Archives Blog




We're celebrating Foote's 100th year by looking back in our archives to remember the people and events that have made Foote the special community it is. Check out the Foote Archives Blog to learn more about our school's past.

From the Faculty Blogs

In science, Tricia Simon's Kindergartners planted lemon balm and other seeds (pictured).

Hilary Pearson's first graders joined Margy Lamere's second graders to investigate and sketch different birds' nests.

Kim Yap's class got a big surprise: a package from the author of one of their favorite books.

Third graders are beginning their unit on Australia. Amanda Diffley's class started by building topographical maps.

To read more, check out the Lower School blogs and Middle School blogs.
DatesDates to Remember

April 15 - Professional Development Day - NO SCHOOL (No Vacation Program)

May 11 - Field Day (Note: this is a new date for Field Day; the rain date is May 12)

May 11 - PTC/FSA Annual Meeting

May 13, 14 & 15 - Centennial Weekend - Register Online

May 27 - May Day